“The lows of February 1958 that ultimately led to the highs of Wembley 1968 are inspiring to every player that has the honour to pull on the United shirt.

“Today we remember and mourn but we must also take inspiration from the response to the tragedy and people like Sir Bobby Charlton. It’s a privilege for all of us to still have him around and active at Manchester United.

“You still sing about Sir Matt Busby and about playing football “the Busby way”. We have a duty to keep that spirit alive and keep making you proud to support this team.

“Keep the red flag flying high and join me, my team-mates, the staff at the club and millions of fans around the world in remembering The Busby Babes. The Flowers of Manchester”

In the cold snow of Munich, they laid down their livesBut they live on forever in our hearts and our mindsSo come all supporters and hold your heads highFor Manchester United will never die.#FlowersOfManchesterpic.twitter.com/0yXWw9kUQv

FIFA president Gianni Infantino, UEFA vice-president Fernando Gomes, Manchester City ambassador Mike Summerbee and Liverpool great Kenny Dalglish were also in attendance at a ceremony led by club chaplain Rev John Boyers.

“Those flowers of Manchester produced seeds which later were to bloom,” the club chaplain said.

“One of the great legacies of Sir Matt’s management at this club is the emphasis on youth, homegrown talent.

“The Busby Babes pioneered an ethos that is still important to this club. Today,the past and the future are linked.”

A minute’s silence was followed by Pete Martin’s rendition of The Flowers of Manchester, while former goalkeeper Gregg, who spent time at the United training ground earlier in the day, sung along with Abide With Me as the ceremony ended.

Events commemorating the 60th anniversary of the disaster were also held in Munich and Belgrade.

Around 2,000 fans gathered in Germany for a fan-organised ceremony attended by club ambassador Denis Irwin and senior United executives, along with some surviving doctors and nurses involved in the treatment of manager Busby and his team.

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Meanwhile, Nicky Butt’s Under-19 team, who play FK Brodarac in the UEFA Youth League on Wednesday, observed a minute’s silence at Partizan Stadium in Belgrade – the venue for the European Cup quarter-final between Red Star and United.

The club crest and ‘#FlowersOfManchester’ was displayed on the front of Wembley Stadium, while Prime Minister Theresa May paid tribute to those killed and injured in Munich.

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“Today marks an important and sombre anniversary in the history of this great city,” she said in a speech in Manchester.

“Sixty years ago today the Munich air disaster claimed the lives of 23 people, with many more suffering life-changing injuries.

“The crew, journalists and, of course, the talented footballers who died that day will never be forgotten.”